Tilly & The Buttons Lotta - the knit version

 Usually I don't blog projects using patterns that I've already reviewed - there often isn't much to add to my original thoughts - but sometimes things are different enough to warrant their own post. That's the case for this Tilly & The Buttons Lotta dress, because it's made in a knit fabric, whereas my original Lotta dress used a woven cotton.

One of the things that first drew me to the Lotta dress was that it was designed to be made in either knit or woven fabrics. I had my eye out all winter for some jersey to make a cosy long-sleeved version, but nothing ever quite seemed to be what I wanted. Instead, I picked up a lovely spotty jersey from Threadquarters (sadly it's no longer in stock) in the perfect shade of sky blue early this year and squirreled it away for a summer dress instead.

Now that the weather has finally caught up with the season it's meant to be here in the UK, I thought I'd better get it sewn up and enjoy wearing it while the sun's shining!

The knit version of the Lotta dress is sewn in exactly the same way as the woven one, with the exception of the neckline being finished with a neckband rather than a facing - and using stretch stitches/a ballpoint needle of course.

The fabric suggestions on the pattern recommend drapey jersey, stretch velvet or lightweight French terry, but this is a fairly standard cotton jersey (a bit of drape, but nowhere near as much as a viscose jersey would have) and it works nicely I think. 

One of my favourite things about this version compared with my original one (which I also really like, and have worn a lot already) is that the jersey is slightly heavier than the woven cotton I used and it gives the skirt a bit of added body meaning that it moves beautifully as you walk.

My woven cotton Lotta dress is already really comfortable, but the jersey fabric takes Lotta into definite secret pyjamas territory - it's so comfy!

I used the same size and adjustments as in my original version - if you want more details you can read my blog post here.

So all in all, I really love how this dress turned out. It's possibly my favourite shade of blue, it was an easy and enjoyable project to sew, and it's a great dress to wear. I can definitely see more jersey Lotta dresses in my future!

Tilly & The Buttons Lotta Dress

The dress I have to share with you today was one of those serendipitous projects where the fabric and pattern appear in your life at the same time and demand to be put together. A few weeks ago I bought a duvet cover in a charity shop with the intention of making a basic-but-not-boring dress to show off its pretty print. Just a couple of days later Tilly & The Buttons released the Lotta dress pattern, which was just the style I had in mind. 

Lotta is a beautifully simple dress with a blousy bodice, flared skirt and narrow elasticated waistline. It has the options of midi or knee-length skirts, grown-on short sleeves or drop-shoulder bracelet length sleeves, and deep patch pockets. As an added bonus, it can be made using either woven or knit fabrics so it's a pretty versatile pattern.

Lotta would be a really great pattern for beginners - with no fastenings or darts it's a straightforward project to sew, and the more relaxed style of the bodice would make it easier to fit than some other dresses. As is always the case with Tilly & The Buttons patterns, the instructions are really detailed so should give you any help you need and if you want more support there's the option of an online course to accompany the pattern too. 

For those of us with more experience under our belts, it's a nice relaxing project to sew and comes together quickly. It could be a nice palate cleanser after a complicated project, or a good way to boost your sewing mojo if you're currently lacking in motivation.

In terms of sizing, my measurements (B 38", W 32", H 42") basically put me in Tilly's size 5 (my hips are actually between a 5 and a 6, but hip sizing isn't crucial for Lotta because of the flared skirt) and that's the size that I made. I'd say the sizing is good - the bodice is blousy as intended, but not so loose that it's starting to look baggy. 

The only alteration I made was to lengthen the bodice by an inch, which is very standard for me (I'm about 5' 9"). For reference, I used the midi skirt length straight from the pattern.

One point I should mention is that I can *just* get the bodice over my head - I do have pretty big head (all those hats that say "one size fits all"? It definitely doesn't!) so this shouldn't be a problem for most people, but it might be worth making a toile to check that you're OK if you also have a large head!

As I mentioned above, the fabric I used is from a duvet cover that I bought in a charity shop recently. The patterned fabric of the skirt is the top side of the cover, and the navy is the back. I originally intended to use the patterned fabric for the entire dress, but when I came to cut it out I noticed a couple of small areas of damage to the fabric that I needed to avoid and that meant that I didn't have enough fabric for both the bodice and skirt. 

In hindsight I think that might have been a blessing in disguise because I really like the combination of the two fabrics together, and having the whole dress in the patterned fabric might have been a bit overwhelming.

Having given my Lotta dress its inaugural outing, I'm pleased to report that it's really comfy but also makes you feel like you've made a bit of an effort. I think it will look good layered over a long-sleeved t-shirt or paired with cardigans/jumpers in the cooler weather we have coming up, but will also be great on its own for spring/summer so hopefully it should be an almost year-round dress. 

I'm really pleased with how my Lotta dress turned out, and I'll definitely be sewing more versions in the future. It's the kind of pattern that could be a really casual everyday dress, or could be dressed up to be quite smart depending on the fabric that you chose and the way you style the dress. I think my next version might have to be in a jersey to make it even more comfy and cosy for autumn/winter. What fabric would you use for Lotta?